Guitarist Andrew Hardin and vocalist Jeannie Burns
have teamed up to write, record, and perform as Hardin Burns. After meeting at
Woody Guthrie Folk Festival in 2009, the two began writing what would eventually
become their self-released debut recording 'Lounge' in 2012. It includes nine
original songs and a cover of George Harrison's "Beware Of Darkness" (from 'All
Things Must Pass', 1970). The duo have also recorded a two-song CD of a new
original "Ache" and Howlin' Wolf's classic "Smokestack Lightning." Acoustic
Guitar Magazine included "Lounge" on its Essential Acoustic Albums list for 2012
and called it "...an addictive set of earthy, hook-filled melodies, stunning
harmonies, and graceful virtuosity on acoustic and electric guitars". In April
2014, the duo recorded their second collection, entitled 'Down The Deep Well'.
Co-produced by Gabe Rhodes in Spicewood, Texas, the recording features legendary
drummer Dony Wynn and upright bassist David Carroll.
Andrew Hardin lives
outside of Austin and is best known for his long association with songwriter Tom
Russell, with whom he toured all over North America and Europe. During that time
Andrew mainly lived in Brooklyn, New York, but relocated to Texas in the year
2000. He has also performed and recorded with such artists as Jimmy LaFave,
Eliza Gilkyson, John Fullbright, Malcolm Holcombe and Joel Guzman. He has
released four solo albums of instrumental guitar music and a new retrospective
entitled 'Lost Pines', featuring noted guitarists Albert Lee and Amos
Garrett.

Jeannie Burns, the eighth of twelve
siblings, lives in Ithaca, New York, and performed with the Burns Sisters for
over twenty years. The Burns Sisters released eight albums and have toured
extensively as back up singers for Arlo Guthrie. Their back up vocals can be
heard on recordings by Jimmy LaFave, Kevin Welch, Radoslav Lorkovic and
others. Jeannie released an excellent solo album 'Coming Up Close' in 2000, that
included songs by Fred Eaglesmith, Ray Bonneville and Steve Earle.
In
addition to touring in Texas, Oklahoma, New York, Maryland, Ohio, Florida, and
California, Hardin Burns has recently toured Italy and Alberta, Canada.
They performed "Talk Of The Town" and "My City
Was Gone" at the Barns At Wolf Trap (near Washington, DC) in a tribute to
Chrissy Hynde, and performed on the train 'City Of New Orleans' from Chicago to
New Orleans.

What sets Hardin Burns apart from the crowd is
their ability to combine traditional musical styles such as blues and country
with visionary, modern lyrical ideas. Their sound brings to mind such acts as
Raising Sand or The Civil Wars. Influences include Johnny Cash, Howlin' Wolf,
Lucinda Williams, Warren Zevon, Al Green, the Rolling Stones, and George
Harrison. In live performance, expect to hear Jeannie's evocative, bluesy vocals
framed by Andrew's inspired and inventive guitar playing.

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The Hardin Burns
ALBUM:

In April 2014 the duo,
known as Hardin Burns, recorded ten tracks in Austin, Texas. Their second
collection 'Down The Deep Well' was co-produced by Gabe Rhodes, and features the
legendary Dony Wynn on drums and David Carroll on upright bass. The new album is
more stripped down and primal-sounding than its predecessor. Topics range from
the emotional distress of the title track to the domestic bliss of “Back Porch”
and from the celebration of love and life in “Blooming” to the fear of death in
“The Call”. The tracks draw inspiration from blues and country influences, as
well as singer-songwriter and pop music traditions. Acoustic instruments: drum
set, upright bass, and acoustic guitar form the rhythm section, with acoustic
and electric guitar solos and subtle touches of accordion and electric
piano.

Andrew is known for his distinctive acoustic lead
guitar style. On this new CD he plays virtually all of the guitar, and is
contributing lead and harmony vocals as well.

Jeannie is the primary lead singer on the album,
and she displays an unprecedented range of expression on this
recording.
Co-producer Gabe Rhodes is a great
acoustic and electric guitarist, and is also proficient on piano, accordion, and
dobro, and basically, whatever the situation requires. He has produced and
recorded projects for Willie Nelson, Billy Joe Shaver, Waylon Jennings, Kimmie
Rhodes, and many others. Hardin Burns chose Gabe for their project largely on
intuition, and after hearing the Susan Gibson recording 'Tightrope' that
impressed Andrew with its sparse and tasteful production. The recording studio
was hand-built by Gabe, and features stained glass windows and fresh-brewed
coffee.

Drummer and percussionist Dony Wynn toured with British R&B
singer Robert Palmer ('Addicted To Love') for years, and also has worked with
artists such as Dr. John, Robert Plant, Patti LaBelle, and many more. Dony is
also a fine-art photographer, and record producer. Born in Memphis, raised in
Southern Louisiana, educated all over the world and now living in Austin, Dony’s
contribution to this album cannot be overstated.

Bassist David Carroll is a
constant in the live-music scene in Austin. He is another alumnus of Susan
Gibson, and also works regularly with Christine Albert and Chris Gage, Bill
Kirchen, Hayes Carl, Toni Price, and Kimmie Rhodes. David plays a large upright
bass that folds in half for easy traveling. David’s style is muscular and solid,
and he is also a great singer!

The album was mixed by award winning producer
and engineer Bradley Hartman, who has recorded dozens of albums by Emmylou
Harris, Willie Nelson, Rosanne Cash, Rodney Crowell, and more. As Gabe pointed
out: “…he mixed 'Stardust’.” Mastering was done by Alex McCollough at Yes Master
in Nashville.

The CD package is completed, photographed and
designed by Jeannie’s husband, Ralph Varn. It features a cover photo of an
inverted image of Jacob’s Well, a natural spring near where Andrew lives in
Wimberley, TX. (The Huffington Post recently called Jacob’s Well “the coolest
place to swim in Texas".) The back and inside photos feature a mural by Tony
Sansevero at the Flora and Fauna Hotel in Wimberley, illustrating local wildlife
such as heron, armadillo, owl, mountain lion, etc.

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1. "Down The Deep Well": I love
that rhythm of this swampy blues title track! Andrew takes, surprisingly, the
leadvocals and Jeannie echoes him in the chorus. His electric guitar notes are
reminiscent of the great Mark Knopfler.

HB: This song is basically a blues
in E minor, and features an electric guitar solo by Andrew, and no bass… the
drums and acoustic guitar cover the rhythm. Jeannie provides counterpoint vocal
and ghostly wails at the end of the song.

2. "Back Porch": Of course this is
Jeannie's turn to sing lead vocals in this lovely and lazy Mexican flavored
acoustic folkballad. The sound has a seventies Linda Ronstadt feel, but
Jeannie's vocal itself reminds me quite a bit of our favorite 'La Lucinda'.
Inventive fingerpicking!

HB: An ode to domestic bliss,
given soft faintly Mexican accompaniment, sung by Jeannie, with an acoustic solo
by Andrew with Gabe adding a touch of accordion.

3. "Blooming": Inventive jazz
guitar notes in a relaxed swinging blues ballad, sung as a convincing duet, with
a hint of the great Bobbie Gentry in the melody and phrasing.

HB: A duet with a funky rhythm
and a jazzy solo.

4. "Gentle Rain": Another ballad,
I love Jeannie's fragile and airy vocals. Also another wonderful guitar solo,
somewhat subdued for the occasion. New Orleans is the backdrop. Favorite song!

HB: This is a reminiscence in New
Orleans that falls apart in a puddle of mud on a side street in the French
Quarter.

5. "The Call": This duo gave
obviously great thought to the sequence of the songs. Poignant lyrics about
addiction... "If you can fall after twenty years / With all your blessings, your
career / But for the grace of God go I". Jeannie sings right from the heart! The
guitar winks at JJ Cale in the meantime. Highlight!

HB: An obituary to a talented
artist who succumbs to the perils of addiction.

6. "Ache": Back to the blues, with
resonating guitar sounds and Jeannie's wistfully vibrating vocal timbre, asking
herself why she let him go...

HB: A funky, tongue-in-cheek
complaint about unfulfilled desire.

7. "Get Back Home": Country song
with a bit of a 'chicka-boom' rhythm. Jeannie shows off that she can sing in
any style just as effortlessly.

HB: The protagonist decides that
the gamble is not worth the risk, in a deserted, southwestern
landscape.

8. "Run": An upbeat, energetic
song. Jeannie's sister Terry joins in on harmony vocals. The lyrics should make
us think about current consumer issues, thoughtless over consumption of our
resources, that is.

9. "Walkin' On A Wire": The only
cover song, written by Richard Thompson, from the album 'Shoot Out The Lights'
(1982) by Richard and Linda Thompson. A fabulous song getting well-deserved
respect.

HB: Our version of “Walkin' On A
Wire” is more understated than the original by Richard and Linda Thompson; it’s
a great song that deserves to be heard again.

10. "Wave Of Your Hand": A
melancholy duet to close off the album.

HB: Finally, “Wave Of Your Hand”,
a dialogue between a emotionally crippled woman and a friend who urges her to
“break the rhythm and bend; and let the music in”.

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A cool collection of inspired songs by this very
talented duo. The album has a great flow and a nice variety of folk, blues and
country tinged songs at the same time. Superb playing, of course. I'm also a big
fan of Gabriel Rhodes, more people should realize how good he really is. 'Down
The Deep Well' has something for everybody, that might be an often used line,
but here it works!

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The Hardin Burns
Interview: (from Ithaca
Journal)

Five years after meeting at the Woody Guthrie Folk
Festival in Oklahoma, Andrew Hardin and Jeannie Burns continue to develop their
musical partnership in their roots duo Hardin Burns. They put out their debut CD, 'Lounge', in 2012, and recently completed
their second album 'Down The Deep Well', for which they played a release show at
Ithaca's Carriage House Café.

Hardin has played with several performers during
his long career, but he's best known for his long stint backing Tom Russell.
Burns, a native of Binghamton who has lived in Ithaca for decades, spent more
than 30 years as a member of the Burns Sisters; after the release of their last
album, 'Hills of Ithaca' two years ago, she decided to focus solely on the duo
project with Hardin.

"We were hoping that it would jell," Burns said of
the duo. "He was not as much a writer when he worked with Tom Russell, and I
wasn't the big writer in the Burns Sisters. So we thought, 'Let's get together
and try writing more,' which makes it exciting for both of us."

Hardin had heard Burns' solo album 'Coming Up
Close', which included several cool cover songs. "I was impressed with her
ability to pick really good material and interpret it," he said. "To me, to work
with a vocalist that was that good really filled in what was missing in myself.
I think her skill set is really complementary to mine, but our taste and
stylistic orientation is pretty similar." "It was
a great pairing, and synergetic - one plus one is more than two with us," Burns
added.

The new album, which was co-produced by Hardin and
Gabe Rhodes, has a sparser sound than its predecessor. Rhodes had produced an
album, 2011's 'Tight Rope', for singer-songwriter Susan Gibson, whose song "Wide
Open Spaces" was a huge hit for the Dixie Chicks and who also lives in
Wimberley. "It didn't have a lot on it, and I
liked it better than any of her other records," Hardin said. "I was thinking
that's what I want for our record. If it needs something, I want to have it
there, but I don't want any extra stuff."

Hardin and Burns cut the tracks with drummer Dony
Wynn, who had played with Robert Palmer for many years. "He was a special
drummer, and that's what really defines his record, his sensibility," Hardin
said. "Then we kind of just filled in the blanks, with string bass and other
little touches, mainly economical guitar solos."

Except for their cover of Richard Thompson's
"Walkin' On A Wire", Hardin and Burns wrote nine of the album's ten
songs.

One particular standout is "The Call", which was
written in response to actor Philip Seymour Hoffman's death. "It's told from the point of view of another addict, because I
am a recovering addict," Burns said. "When I heard he died after 23 years of
being sober, you realized no one is immune. Anyone who's an addict knows it can
happen to them, and that put fear of God into everyone I know who's an
addict."

The two are excited about seeing where their
partnership goes in the future. "I think we've figured out what works, though
we're still open to different ways of fleshing out songs," Burns said.
"Nothing's done exactly the same way. Sometimes I have an idea and give it to
him, or vice versa. We just let it happen the way it's supposed to happen".
Hardin added: "The song tells you what needs to
have done to make it work, and then you sit back and go that's what its about.
It's a process of putting the little parts together and seeing which ones
resonate most".